ROW Project Manager - Transportation

About the Role

LJA is offering an exciting opportunity that will allow you to reach your full career potential. The structure of our organization is designed to amplify your capabilities while gaining the benefits of being an employee-owner. What truly sets this opportunity apart is the chance to collaborate every day with dedicated, skilled, and supportive leaders. Whether you are in the office, in the field, or behind the scenes, working at LJA gives you the chance to grow through hands-on experience and exposure to a broad range of clients and services.

As a Project Manager at LJA Transportation, you will support the delivery of a large, complex real estate acquisition program for a major transit project. The position functions as a day-to-day extension of the Project Manager, with a strong emphasis on detailed execution, technical review, quality control, and Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisitions Policies Act of 1970 (Uniform Act) compliance. This role contributes to development and strategic planning activities, including refinement of procedures, workflows, schedules, and risk mitigation approaches. Experience on large, federally funded programs is ideal, and familiarity with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) processes is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day delivery of a large real estate acquisition transit project
• Manage subconsultants, including responsibility for invoicing and payments
• Review subconsultant submittals to ensure completeness and proper documentation
• Provide detailed technical review and quality control of acquisition and relocation work products
• Serve as a technical lead for Uniform Act compliance, including interpretation of requirements and consistency across documentation
• Assist with implementation of the client’s real estate acquisition management plan, acquisition procedures, relocation procedures, and internal workflows
• Participate in short-term and long-range planning related to parcel sequencing, staffing needs, and schedule risk
• Coordinate acquisition and relocation activities across multiple parcels, disciplines, and consultants
• Review schedules, trackers, and dashboards to ensure accuracy, completeness, and usability
• Coordinate with appraisal, appraisal review, negotiation, relocation, legal, environmental, survey, and engineering teams
• Participate in internal and external project meetings, occasionally leading meetings or work sessions as delegated
• Assist the Project Manager with issue identification, risk management, and resolution of day-to-day challenges
• Help prepare for agency reviews, audits, workshops, and coordination meetings
• Provide technical guidance and lead/mentor project staff
• Prepare presentations and reports and effectively communicate in a variety of mediums
• Assist the Project Manager with financial analysis to track the project’s profitability
• Track the project team’s workload and evaluate potential staffing needs

Requirements

• 4-year college degree
• International Right of Way Association (IRWA) SR/WA certification (additional credentials are a plus)
• Texas Real Estate Sales Agent’s or Broker’s license (Texas law license may be substituted) or ability to obtain one through reciprocity with another state’s real estate licensing agency
• Active Texas Notary, or ability to obtain notary status within two months of employment
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing or providing direct support for managing public infrastructure projects
• Demonstrated experience working with, understanding, and interpreting the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisitions Policies Act of 1970, as amended
• Experience working on large, complex public infrastructure projects with significant parcel counts and varied acquisition types
• Experience working on highly visible projects with aggressive schedules
• Strong experience performing detailed reviews of acquisition and relocation documentation for accuracy and compliance
• Familiarity with eminent domain processes and coordination with legal counsel on complex or contested acquisitions
• Experience working in dense urban or central business district environments involving partial acquisitions, access impacts, phasing constraints, and stakeholder sensitivity
• Familiarity with acquisition appraisal elements (such as USPAP) and methodology
• Proficient with MS Office Suite, especially Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Proficient with using SharePoint and client-based systems
• Valid Driver’s License (good driving record and ability to travel as project needs require)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to build and maintain strong internal and external relationships
• Ability to lead/manage a team of right-of-way professionals

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and light rail projects
• Experience supporting or developing a Real Estate Acquisition Management Plan (RAMP) or similar program-level plan for a large infrastructure program
• Knowledge of real estate and growth in the Austin metropolitan area
• Experience supporting multi-year, program-level projects with evolving scopes, schedules, and regulatory requirements
• Managed projects from schedule, financial, and contractual perspectives
• Experience coordinating complex acquisition and relocation programs involving multiple parcels and stakeholders
• Degree in real estate, engineering, or related field

Work Environment

• Critical thinking and problem-solving attributes
• Intraoffice and interoffice mobility required to attend project meetings, client meetings, and meetings with team members and support staff
• Actively participate in meetings to follow up with team members and clients on action items
• Ability to work accurately under pressure to meet deadlines
• Capable of quickly evaluating accuracy in real estate acquisition documents
• Sit for extended periods of time working on a computer with various software applications

Benefits

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Generous Time Off: PTO, paid holidays, and a full office closure between Christmas and New Year’s
• Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple plan options for health, dental, and pets, along with mental health support
• Family Support: Paid maternity and parental leave
• Education Support: Tuition reimbursement and in-house courses provided by our Learning and Development team
• Referral Bonuses: Rewards for referring great talent
• Community Impact: Company-sponsored volunteer days and philanthropic initiatives
• Professional Development: Memberships to industry organizations
• Career Growth: Great internal mobility opportunities
• Fun Culture: LJA social events, employee sports teams, bring your kid to work day, and more